Clickstream data is a digital footprint of a user’s actions on the internet. It shows where a user goes, what they do, what websites they visit and the purchases they made. Clickstream data is valuable, but obtaining it from users without permission is a violation of privacy. The only way to legally collect clickstream data is from organizations that gather this data from volunteers.
Is Clickstream Data the Same as Using Cookies?
Clickstream data may sound similar to cookie-based targeting but the two are different. Although cookie-based targeting tracks users’ behaviors on the internet, it only gives visibility over site visits. Additionally, cookie data can be deleted or blocked by the user. Many internet users clear their cookies after a month or two.
With clickstream data, volunteers agree to have their behaviors tracked online for market research purposes. These volunteers are generally included in a large panel that provides marketers with more reliable, in-depth data. Additional benefits to this data collection method are: no cookies to block or delete, low turnover rates and a long lifetime duration.
What Can You Learn from Clickstream Data?
Marketers use clickstream data for various purposes, but the main goal is to build a better understanding of their target customer and their online activities.
Here are some key findings that clickstream data can reveal about your customers.
- How people got to the website
- Paid search queries that brought them to the site
- Most popular products, pages and sections
- What they engage, view or purchase
- What visitors search for
- When they convert, cancel or abandon their cart
- Where they go when they leave
How Your Business Can Benefit from Using Clickstream Analytics
Clickstream data can nourish your business with the information it needs to capture customers in the funnel and get them to convert. Analyzing this data allows you to identify customer trends, discover new routes taken by customers, understand user behavior and increase conversions.
As stated before, clickstream data is more reliable than using cookie-based tracking because the user pool is larger, longer term and not apt to block or delete the pixels. You can collect some “click” data on your customers using common analytics tools, but for more in depth data, check out a third-party tool like Clickstreamr.com that works with your Google Analytics data.
Curious to know why users aren’t converting on your website? Call Magna Technology and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free website consultation.
